Saft lands multi-million euro battery systems contract for Beijing Subway
The contract, which is Saft’s largest single order to date for the Asian metro sector, builds upon previous metro orders in Hong Kong and Shanghai to reinforce Saft’s position as a key strategic supplier of emergency backup power systems for China’s fast-growing urban transit sector.
The new Line 6 is the rapid transit line with the highest speed and capacity in the Beijing subway. Line 6 is currently transporting passengers over a 20 km line at speeds of up to 100 km per hour and within a few years the line will be extended to cover a total of 50 km. In contrast to most other lines in Beijing, which use six-car trainsets, Line 6 is served by eight-car trainsets that carry up to 1,960 passengers.
The onboard battery systems provide backup power for the Line 6 trains for up to 45 minutes to support vital control, communication and passenger safety functions if the main power supply is interrupted. Each CNR CRC trainset has been fitted with two fully integrated battery systems based on Saft’s specialized SRM nickel-based batteries.
A major advantage of the Saft SRM batteries for CNR CRC is that they need no special attention between normal rolling stock maintenance exercises, since topping up with water is only required at two-year intervals. The low maintenance capability combined with long-life enables the SRM to offer an optimized TCO (total cost of ownership) for the train operator. An added SRM advantage is that, compared to a gel lead-acid battery, they have enabled the overall battery weight to be reduced by around 50 percent – even when sizing to ensure the battery has sufficient capacity for low temperature operation. Reduced bulk with maximum reliability is a further contribution to a lower TCO, as well as freeing up valuable onboard space for other uses.
Visit Saft at www.saftbatteries.com
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